Page 117 of Tame Me

Cal pulled a sad face and turned to me. “She’s so mean.”

Lolly smacked his butt. “I’ll make it up to you later.”

“Okay.” Cal’s face lit up, and he practically skipped from the kitchen.

Lolita pulled an oven tray from the dish drainer and set it on the counter. “Want to help me with these?” She pointed at miniature tart cases in several Tupperware dishes, which Lolita no doubt would’ve made herself.

“Sure.” We lined the tray with the tiny tarts and then filled each one with bocconcini cheese, semi-dried tomatoes, and a scattering of prosciutto. It was a pity we weren’t cooking them until later because I could have easily devoured a few now.

As we moved from one canapé preparation to the next, Lolita cranked up the music, and we sang, danced, drank champagne, and chatted about all things wonderful and good. Before we knew it, seven o’clock had arrived, along with the first guests.

Lolita and Cal had converted their backyard into Party Central. The grass had been covered in a wooden dance floor with a giant marquee tented over the top, and colorful lights hit the area from every angle. Giant ice buckets were dotted about the place and Cal had put glow sticks in each one, lighting them up in a variety of colors.

Within twenty minutes, about fifty people filled the dance floor. The music was loud and funky, and it was impossible to resist moving to the beat. As I made my way around the room with my champagne, I made a point of saying hello to everyone and introducing myself to those I didn’t know—which weren’t too many.

Every time I finished my champagne, either Lolita or Calvin filled it up. My glass was officially bottomless, and I was soooooo happy with that.

Abundant alcohol was about the only thing guaranteed to save me from the never-ending questions people asked about my love life. I will never understand why my single status was so fascinating to everyone but me.

The more I drank, the more the bombardment annoyed me. All I wanted to do was stand on one of the bar tables and regale the crowd with all the sordid details about my glorious Memphis romps. I wanted to scream that I, Plain Jane, was getting loads of sex. About fifty times this year, in fact, with loads of hunky men.

I’m a fucking sexual diva!

Thankfully, as quickly as the stupid idea whizzed around my brain, it whizzed right back out again because I quickly realized just how bad that sounded. Nobody would understand, and I could just picture the partygoers’ horrified faces at my announcement.

Instead, I sipped my Bollinger and moved on to the next group of people in the hope the conversation would be much more interesting.

Several hours into the party, I spotted Clayton standing at a bar table with a beer in his hand. He looked stunning and stylish, and totally handsome. Our eyes met as if we were meant to see each other, and he walked toward me.

He strolled right up to me and planted a kiss on my cheek. “It’s lovely to see you, Jane.”

My heart skipped a beat, and I couldn’t believe this smoking hot man was talking to me after what I did to him.

I sipped my bubbles and tried to calm my racing pulse. I blinked at him, hardly able to believe he was smiling at me, let alone making conversation. “It’s lovely to see you too.”

As if we’d planned it, we edged to the side of the marquee, where there were less people, and the music wasn’t as loud. “You still working at the hotel?”

I tucked a slip of hair behind my ear. “Yes. I’ve been promoted to day manager.”

His eyes lit up. “Oh, so you get your nights off now?”

I nodded. “I do.” My heart was going crazy. I couldn’t believe Clayton was actually talking to me after I broke up with him.

“That must be a nice change. So, have you been anywhere exciting with your nights off?”

“A few places. Lolly has been chaperoning me.”

He chuckled. “I bet she has. She’s up for any party.”

“How’s Telitha?”

“She’s wonderful. Feisty, courageous, fun—everything a little girl should be.” His smile grew spectacular as he looked at me, and I felt as if we’d never been apart.

I sipped my champagne and allowed lovely thoughts to flow through me.

“There you are.” A woman came striding toward us and planted a prolonged kiss on Clayton’s lips as if I wasn’t there at all. She was a raven-haired, golden-skinned beauty, and I admired her and hated her in an instant.

My jaw dropped, and despite myself, I struggled to pull it back into place.

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